Let’s face it: Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are a pain in the backside for freelancers. Not only are they undecipherable, but they prevent you from displaying your work and limit your ability to take on related projects.

Since I started freelancing in 2013, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients. Most of which are overseas, and include clients from Austria, Australia, Andorra, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, India, Isle of Man, Norway, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Uganda and the USA.

Most of my initial freelance work came through Upwork, which is why such a high percentage of my clients aren’t based in the UK. I now work with a mix of international clients both on and off the platform.

Freelancers can be nervous about working with clients abroad. There are more factors to consider, but for the most part it’s similar to working with a local client.

Here are some ‘gotchas’ to watch out for and tips to help your international projects go smoothly.

I was recently contacted by an agency I’ve worked with on numerous projects. Their client had disappeared mid-project and had been in touch to ask about some tweaks on their new site.

Confused, the agency checked out the client’s site. The client had outsourced the completion of the work elsewhere, ripping off the design we had created. Not only this, but the client didn’t want to pay for the work as they hadn’t used it.

Without getting into the rights or wrongs of the client’s behaviour, it surprised me that the agency’s contract didn’t include clauses that protected them. The contract I use, based on Andy Clarke’s Contract Killer, has a couple of sections that would have strengthened this agency’s position.

Let’s look at the two clauses that could have prevented this happening.